A Helping Hand
by rockmysocks456
Summary: CAN BE READ AS FRIENDSHIP OR BAT. Beck's sick, but everyone's gone but Cat. Will the sweet little red-head help him out? Of course. ONE-SHOT.


_* Can be read as friendship or as Bat. Whichever you prefer. READ AND REVIEW! One-shot!_

* * *

****

-Cat-

Cat Valentine skipped down the hallway to her locker, her violently bright red hair bouncing on her shoulders, in a bubbly rhythm, she spun her combination giggling as she opened it and saw a picture of a kitten dangling from a rope with a speech bubble reading: Oh fudge!

She was doing what she could to keep herself in a good mood. Tori, Andre, Robbie, and Jade had all gone on a school trip which Cat and Beck had not handed in their permission slips for on time. School was almost over and Cat had still not seen Beck. He'd missed lunch, which was wierd, leaving Cat to hum merrily to the great irritation of her "lunch-buddy" for the day, Trina.

She was just closing her locker when Beck Oliver came walking towards her, he seemed a little unsteady on his feet and there were dark shadows beneath his eyes. Not to mention his normally tan complexion was shockingly pallid.

"Hey, Cat..." He mumbled in greeting, laying his head against the side of the locker next to hers, leaning on it casually.

Cat looked at him curiously, "Are you okay, Beck?"

He coughed into his sweatshirt sleeve and nodded, "Yeah, I'm good..."

Cat shook her head and said in her high, purely adorable voice, "No you're not, tell me what's wrong!"

Beck shrugged with another cough and said, his voice contrasting hers drastically, his voice low and scratchy, "Dunno, just feel like shit I guess-"

Cat covered her mouth with both hands in surprise and squeaked, "You said the 'S' word!"

Beck nodded in agreement.

Cat giggled.

The bell rang, in it's usualy sing-song fashion, alerting the nerds that were debating physics, couples who were making out against lockers, and the other average teenagers scattered across the halls to get to class.

"Gotta go, I'll see you, Cat." Beck said, his voice weak.

"Beck, are you sure you're-"

"I'm fine!" He said, walking off down the now empty hallway to get to class.

Unfortunately, he didn't make a particularly good point as he stumbled, staggered into a locker, slid down it, and fell in a crumpled heap. He'd fainted.

"Beck!" Cat squeaked, scurrying towards him and kneeling down beside him.

She stared at him, he looked so... vulnerable. His dark, shadowed eyes closed, his mouth slightly ajar just enough to see his teeth. Her knuckles were brought up to cover her mouth, and her eyebrows were knitted with concern.

"Beck!" She said, tapping the side of his face lightly.

"Beck!" She tapped again.

Gaining no response from this she said to herself drawing in a deep breath, "Okay! Just do what they do on t.v.!"

She took a deep breath, and slapped him. Hard.

His eyes flew open, he sat up quickly, before falling back against the locker and exclaiming, "Cat! What-?"

"You fainted!" She said breathlessly.

"What?" Beck asked bewildered, "I did?"

"Yeah! That's what I just said!" She replied.

"I'm okay..." He muttered unconvincingly and made to stand up but his knees gave way and he fell again, going into a rough coughing fit.

"C'mon!" Cat said.

"Wh-? Where are we going?"

"My house!" Cat answered, dragging him to his feet she helped him out of the school.

They crossed the parking lot, a little slower than normal as Cat usually walked as Beck was slung across her shoulder helplessly. She pushed him gently into the passengers seat and his head sank immediately onto his knuckles, his elbow pressed against the window.

Cat got in the driver's seat. She wasn't exactly supposed to be driving without someone with a liscense yet, but her mom was on a buisness trip, so she had driven to school herself today. She buckled her seat belt and then said directly, though her sing-song voice lacked credibility,

"You don't have your seatbelt on!"

"Oh yeah... right..." Beck muttered and buckled it.

He pressed his hot forehead against the cool glass. He closed his eyes, not because he wanted to, but because they had decided they would.

Cat drove cautiously, not wanting to be caught and surprising even herself, she made it home. She parked, and got out. Beck was already half-out before his legs trembled, threatning to give way. She hurried over and took him inside before he fell.

She flicked on the lights, causing Beck to wince in pain. She helped him to the couch and allowed him to stretch out across it before hurrying into the kitchen.

She pushed her hair out of her face, looking up with sparkling eyes at the medicine cabinet. Contemplating how she might reach it, she leapt up with a squeak onto the counter top, nearly sliding off. She kept her balance, and searched the cabinet for some tylenol. Retrieving it, she slid off the counter and got a glass of water.

"Here you go!" She said brightly, placing the tiny pill in Beck's hand and setting the water down on the side table beside him.

"Thanks... But seriously, Cat you didn't have to-"

"No 'buts'- Teehee, butts! No buts, Mister!" She giggled.

Normally such a high-pitched, overly enthusiastic voice would pierce Beck's already throbbing head like a blade. But Cat's didn't. He smiled weakly and swallowed the pill, taking a sip of water.

"Now it says on the box that this'll make you really ti-"

Beck was already snoring deeply against the side of the couch.

Cat smiled and noticed him shiver. She dashed upstairs to her closet and poked her index finger into her chin, deep in thought. Deciding on the purple blanket, she pulled it down.

"Acck!" She peeped as the blanket fell on top of her head, covering her vision with a fuzzy lavender.

She pulled it off, spitting hair out of her face and skipped down the stairs, back to Beck.

She laid it gently overtop of him and smiled at how cute he looked when he slept.

She bent over and kissed his head lightly before disappearing into the next room.

* * *

**-Beck-**

Beck awoke, his headache alittle better, and at least he didn't feel like he was going to keel over again, and so he sat up looking around. The room spun slightly, and he squeezed his eyes shut in order to make it become stable again.

"Cat?" He croaked, looking around. It was dark out. He wondered what time it could possibly be.

"CAT?" He repeated, a little more audibly.

"I'm coming!" Her voice was coming from somewhere upstairs perhaps.

She came hopping down the stairs and he smiled at what he saw.

Cat, her bright hair pulled in neat pigtail braids, pajama pants covered in zebras, and a blue tank top with a gigantic smiley face printed across it.

"Nice pants." He chuckled.

She smiled broadly, plucking at the fabric gently she said, "Thanks! They have _zebras_ on them!"

"I can see that." He said, his smile not fading.

Cat sat down softly beside him on the sofa and asked sweetly, "Are you okay, now?"

He nodded and said, "Better than I was."

"Yay!" She exclaimed.

He pulled her into a warm embrace and she returned the hug. She loved hugs.

Standing and turning her back on him, she wandered towards the kitchen.

"You want a poptart? I got strawberry and brown-sugar cinnamon!"

* * *

**THE END! _(REVIEW!)_**


End file.
